OVER 99.9 PERCENT CATEGORY

One may ask, "Where does this figure of "over 99.9 percent"
comes from?" It comes from the Gurbani (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, SGGS), which
provides us with an estimate of conditioned souls in our human society. It also
reveals to us that those individuals who truly abide in Truth in their mind (the Gurmukhs) are very "rare". Out of thousands and millions, one
may endeavor for Spiritual attainment, of these hardly one knows the Reality in
Truth. This means that over 99.9 percent people simply live in a state of mental
delusion! This is to say that only less than 0.1 percent (numeral "one"
divided by "thousand" or "million") of the people are truly
interested in real Understanding, spiritual Wisdom or Transcendental Knowledge! The Gurbani
affirms this as follows:

ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਵਿਰਲਾ ਬੂਝੈ ਕੋਈ ॥: Gurmukh viralaa boojhai koee: How rare is that who as
the Gurmukh understands (sggs 224).

There are four principles common
to human beings and animals - animals eat, sleep, defend and mate. Similarly,
over 99.9 percent of humans are also merely engaged in these animal propensities
namely eating, sleeping, defending and mating. In this abominable condition is
the heinous show of false ego-sense and ignorance at its best! Also called Manmukhs,
slumbering in the state of ceaseless "sleep" of Maya, we ("over
99.9 percent" category) get kicked by our mental wanderings all day long.
The reality is that the majority of us (Manmukhs) chose to practice falsehood
(Jhooth), not the Truth (Sach Dee Kamaaee).

ਤਿਹੀ ਗੁਣੀ ਸੰਸਾਰੁ ਭ੍ਰਮਿ ਸੁਤਾ ਸੁਤਿਆ ਰੈਣਿ ਵਿਹਾਣੀ ॥: The world is asleep in the three-qualitied
Maya and doubt (Bharam); it passes the night of its life sleeping (sggs 920).

The Gurbani groups all human beings in two classifications - the Gurmukhs
or the Spiritual Beings (Self-Realized Mahaatamaas etc.), and the Manmukhs
or the materialists (unenlightened or Haume-beings). As such, these two
terms appear again and again in the Gurbani. As some other terms, these two terms
also appear to have been widely misunderstood. Some define them based on one's
own fool-o-sophy, rather than the Wisdom of the Gurbani. The bottom line is that
the majority fall in the category of "over 99.9 percent", and less than
0.1 percent (numeral "one" divided by "thousand" or "million")
fall in the category of the Gurmukhs. The Gurbani uses the term "rare"
("Viralaa", "Koee" etc.) for them, because they
are "rare" in this world indeed! Some may consider themselves in-between
these two. But, so long any amount of Manmukhtaa is present in one, no
matter how little, the Gurbani does not seem to qualify one as the Gurmukh.
The Gurbani does not indicate little bit of Manmukhtaa mixed with little
bit of Gurmukhtaa is equal to the Gurmukhhood. According to the
Gurbani, those (Gurmukhs) imbued with Truth do not have even an iota of
the filth of falsehood. Thus, either we are in the "over 99.9 percent"
category or in the "less than 0.1 percent" category.

ਸਾਚਿ ਰਤੇ ਸਚੁ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਜਿਹਵਾ ਮਿਥਿਆ ਮੈਲੁ ਨ ਰਾਈ ॥: Saach rathae sach anmrit jihavaa
mithhiaa mail na raaee: Those who are imbued with Truth - their tongues are tinged
with Truth; they do not have even an iota of the filth of falsehood (sggs 1127).

ਆਪੁ ਪਛਾਣਹਿ ਸਬਦਿ ਮਰਹਿ ਮਨਹੁ ਤਜਿ ਵਿਕਾਰ ॥: Aap pachhaanahi Sabadi marahi manahu taj vikaar: (The one who has become the Gurmukh) realizes his own (True) Self; he dies in the Shabad, (and through the Shabad) he banishes Bikaars from his mind (sggs 430).

Manmukhtaa is negativity
- Bikaars or negative propensities of the Haume-mind such as
Kaam, Krodh, Lobh, Moh, Ahankaar and their numerous variations. If one
identifies with any or all of these, he or she naturally falls in the "over
99.9 percent" category. Our ego-mind may not agree with all this and find
it a bitter pill to swallow, but that does not change the Truth revealed to us
in the infallible Gurbani.

ਜਗੁ ਬੰਦੀ ਮੁਕਤੇ ਹਉ ਮਾਰੀ ॥ ਜਗਿ ਗਿਆਨੀ ਵਿਰਲਾ ਆਚਾਰੀ ॥: Jag bandee mukate haou maaree. Jag giaanee
viralaa aachaaree: The world is held in bondage; he alone is emancipated, who
conquers his ego. How rare in the world is that wise person, who practices this
(sggs 412).